Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1887-12-15
Would you explain your meaning

more fullyE
Il mean" said Mr.. Blaine, shat no
great system of revenue like our tariff
can operate with efficiency aud equity
unless the changes of trade be closely
watched and the law promptly adapted
to these changes. But | would make no
change that should impair the protective
character of the whole body of the tariff
laws. -Four years ago, in the act of 1888,
we made changes of the character / have
tried to indicate. If such changes were
made and the fortifying of our seacoast
thus undertaken at a very moderate an
nual outlay, no surplus would be found
after that already accumulated had been
! disposed of. The outlay of money on
Notifications, while doing great service
to the country, would give good work to
many men,"
But what about the existing surplus?"
THE abstract of the message i have
I seem" replied Mr.. Blaine, contains no
/ reference TO that point. | therefore
make no comment further than to en-
dorse Mr.. Fred. Grants remark that a
surplus is always easier to handle than a
/ deficit"
The reporter repeated the question
whether the presidents recommends
ton, If adopted, would not give Us the
advantage Of large increase in exports.
II only repeat answered Mr.. Blaine
that 1t would vastly enlarge our i'm
ports, while the only export it would
seriously increase would be our gold and
silver. That would flow bounteously,
| Just as it did under the tariff of 1916.
The presidents recommendation enacted
into this law would result, as did an ex-
Z IS
wished TO turn swamp into produc-
| tive field. He dug drain to a neigh
/ boring river, but it happened, unfortun-
ately, that the level of the river was
| higher than the level of the swamp
/ The consequence need not be told. A
parallel would be found when the presi
dents policy, in attempting To open a
channel for an increase of exports,
should simply succeed in making way
/ for a deluging inflow of fabrics to the de-
! stfuction of home industry
But don't you think it important to
! increase our export trader
Undoubtedly; but it is vastly more
important not TO lose our own great
market for our own people in vain eff
fort to reach the impossible. 1t is not
our foreign trade that has caused the
wonderful growth and expansion of the
republic. 1t is the vast domestic trade
between thirty eight states and eight
! territories, with population of perhaps
! 6200O000 to-day. The whole amount
of our export and import trade together
never, / think, reached $780, 100000 in
any one year. Our internal home trade
on 10000 miles of railway, along $4,000
miles of ocean coast, over the five great
lekes and along 10000 miles of naviga-
BILE rivers, reaches the enormous annual
/ aggregate OF more than $40,000,000, 900,
and perhaps this year $50 900, 100000.
| IL is into this illimitable trade, even now
/ in its infancy and destined to attain a
magnitude not dreamed OF twenty years
ago, that the Europeans are struggling 20
enter. II IL the heritage of the American
people, Of their children and of their
ohildren's children. 1t gives an absolute
| ly free trade over a territory nearly as
! large as all Europe, and the profit is all
our one. The genuine free-trader APP
pears unable to see or comprehend
that this continental trade not our ex-
changes witt Europe is the great source
! of our prosperity, President Cleveland
now plainly proposes a policy that viii
admit Europe to q share of this trade"
bat you are in favor of extending our
/ foreign trade, are you mott"
Certainly am, in all practical and
advantageous ways, but not on the prin-
/ eipal of the free traders, by which we
shall be constantly exchanging dollar for
dime. Moreover, the foreign trade is often
very delusive, Cotton is manufactured
IN the city of my residence. II q box of
cotton goods is sent 200 miles to the pro
vince of New Brunswick, it is foreign
trade. 1t shipped 1900 miles round
/ Cape Horn to Washington territory il Is
! domestic trade. The magnitude of the
union and the immensely of it's internal
trade require new political economy.
/ Treatises written for the European states
| do not grasp our peculiar situation
How will the presidents message be
taken in the southgn
Il don't dare answer that question.
| The south hes been SO long obscured by
certain local questions and unreasohing
prejudice that nobody can hope for in
dustrial enlightenment among their
leaders. But in my view the south,
above all sections of the union, needs a
protective tariff. The two Nirginlas,
North Carolina, Kentucky, Missouri, Ten
uessee, Alabama and Georgia have en0r-
nous resources and facilities for develop
ing and hadling manufactures. They
cannot do anything without protection.
Even the progress so vast as some of
those state have made will be checked if
the presidents message is enacted into a
law. The senator's and representatives,
can prevent it, but they are so used TO
following anything labeled Democratic
that probably they will follow the presi-
dent and blight the progress already
made.
by the time some of the southern
states get free iron ore and coal, while
tobacco is taxed they may have occa-
sion to sit down aud calculate the value
of democratic free trade il their local
iuterests.N
"Wiu not the presidents recommends
ton to admit raw material find strong
support?'
Not by wise proteotionists in our
time. Perhaps some greedy manutac-
turers may think that with free coal OF
free iron ore they can do great things,
bat il they should succeed in trying they